Warbird Information Exchange

Thanks for the update.
bill word

What a magnificent beast. I saw the parts they had during the "behind the scenes" tour a year-and-a-half ago. Here magnesium skin has suffered badly from exposure to the elements..she'll be a major long-term restoration project, but at least she's finally being saved.


SN

Once the Belle is finished, she will become the next main effort.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

The XC-99 is a very interesting airplane. It will be GREAT to see that wonderful behemoth on display at the Museum some day.

Now if they had only had the foresight to preserve the C-74 Globemaster I years ago...oh well...

I'm not sure if the XC-99 still exists due to any great foresight..I think the AF just wasn't sure what to do with the doggone thing. Frankly, I'm amazed (and most grateful) it wasn't simply scrapped.

Back in the '90s somebody at the Air Zoo told me that the NMUSAF was offering the plane to any museum that wanted it, for free. The only hitch was, the recipient would have to pony up the monumental costs of disassembly, transport, and restoration.

Aside from the C-74, I wish the AF had allowed one of the B-35/49 Flying Wings to be preserved. Obliterating all of those was a crime against history.


SN

So how did the XC-99 end up down in San Antonio any way ? I had always been told a story that when she landed she tore up the run way on a Roll out. and that it was decited that it would be cheaper to leave it where it landed than to keep fixing the Run ways . Is that TRUE . I know that the WIXERS on this forum will give the correct answer .

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Always Keep Em Flying !

Glen

Lookie Capt Jim! Wham! Wham! ...............................Termights

According to the Spring issue of the Friends Journal published by the Air Force Museum Foundation the only portion of the plane yet to be moved to the museum is the center fuselage and center wing area including the landing gear. Approx 4 more trips will be necessary using a C-5 Galaxie to bring the remainder of the XC-99 to Dayton. No timetable for this was given.

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

Hello All,

quick question. How many of these beast's were built ? To my knowledge there was only the one, but my father who did a stretch in the Air Force during the Korean War, based at Rhein Main AFB, insists that there were more of them because he used to see it (them) quite often. And it has been a hot topic of conversation between he and I.

Paul

There was only one built. Perhaps your dad is thinking about the B-36?

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Ain't no sunshine when she's gone!

That is actually a really common mistake, because they used to fly it a ton!! There are a bunch of storeis from guys surprised to find out it was the only one.

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Chris Henry
EAA Aviation Museum Director

The XC-99 spent its entire lengthy career operating out of Kelly AFB in San Antonio. After her retirement, she was moved to a compound just outside the perimeter fence of the base and put on public display. I toured her in the very early 1990s. Somewhere here on WIX is the story of how I almost stepped on a rattlesnake while trying to get all of that huge airplane into one photograph. Search for it... it's here somewhere.

There were only certain runways that a B-36 or the XC-99 could operate from due to their enormous weight. Originally, both types had one huge main landing gear tire on each side, and the weight distribution (or lack thereof) did cause aircraft to break through runways and taxiways. They replaced the single wheel with a four wheel arrangement on each side, and that helped a lot.

Cheers!

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Dean Hemphill, K5DH
Port Charlotte, Florida

Hello,

There was only one C-99 built. I think this still has the largest wingspan of any prop-driven a/c to fly from land (the H-4 being the largest to fly from water). It is my understanding that it broke a wingspar on a flight to (or landing at) San Antonio, which is why the plane resided there for so long.

I came onto the plane in 1977, when at my first job after graduating college. I gave tours and did some volunteer cleanup for a couple of months before my job went elsewhere. At that time an architect was trying to build a museum around it. The cockpit was also complete at that time. The pending museum had troubles (the architect-curator I heard had some problems with the law) and when I gave it another visit about 15 years later the site was abandoned and the plane showed signs of vandalism.

The aircraft is truly enormous. You can walk about inside the wing, and if memory serves the tail is seven stories tall.

Kevin,
.

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Kevin McCartney

I enlisted in the USAF in March 1957 and was in basic training at Lackland for Mar, Apr and May that year. The barracks I was in, was in the first row of buildings overlooking Kelly AFB, and about once a week, we could see the XC-99 landing at Kelly. In very late March or early April, we watched it make a routine landing, then found out that it was the last flight and landing the monster ever made. On Armed Forces day that spring, we had about a 6 hour pass and I took the bus over to Kelly to see the bird which was on display along wilth dozens of other current aircraft of that era. It was moved several times to various parking places at Kelly, but never flew again. There was only one built, serial 43-52436.
Dick Phillips
p51dman2@aol.com

There is an architect at our airport who allways said that he used to own the XC-99 and I thought he was full of it.................well strange coincidence or is it true? He says he just couldn't muster the help (money) to finance the scheme of a museum. Brings up one of those "what ifs'" it was in todays enviroment.

Hi Guys,

I always thought I was correct in this one with my Dad, but, he is my father and I gotta go with him and what he says (in other words...shake your head yes and then quietly disagree) And I always figured, when in doubt, consult my "Janes" library

Paul

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Dammit Jim, I'm an Airplane Inspector/Mechanic not a Doctor !